Saturday 10 October 2015

[MANGA REVIEW] まずは、ひとくち。[Mazu wa, Hitokuchi] by Haruko Moto

まずは、ひとくち。[Mazu wa, Hitokuchi] まずは、ひとくち。[Mazu wa, Hitokuchi] by Haruko Moto
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Is this meant to be some sort of dark satire? Basically the story is all cute, fluffy and stuff but.... I can’t get over eating your own pet. Crazy things is, those pigs adored both of them when they are effectively their predators. That's pretty disturbing and twisted. I am weirded out.


* 12 August 2015

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[MANGA REVIEW] Cat & Master Dog Cat & Master Dog by Ayano Yamane

Cat & Master Dog Cat & Master Dog by Ayano Yamane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Nope. Not what I was expecting and the ended was abrupt. I am never gonna get used to the seme being younger than the uke. Not my thing. The artwork was pretty of course. As expected from the works of the famous Ayano Yamane sensei.

* 12 August 2015

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[MANGA REVIEW] 青年は愛を乞う [Seinen wa Ai o Kou] 青年は愛を乞う [Seinen wa Ai o Kou] by Garasu Hino

青年は愛を乞う [Seinen wa Ai o Kou] 青年は愛を乞う [Seinen wa Ai o Kou] by Garasu Hino
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Really heart-warming and poignant stories of young gay couples. Made me wish for a novelisation of it.

This is a true gem and a keeper. I highly recommend reading it. When I was finished, I wish there's more and that I could keep on reading it.


* 6th August 2015

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[REVIEW: CHINESE BL NOVEL] Děng nǐ yǎngwàng [等你仰望] by Yì Xiūluó [易修羅]

4.5 Stars for this well written BDSM Chinese BL Novel. Complex and compelling storyline with a touch of mystery. Sweet surrender, tender dominance. 

The image below got my attention while I was surfing Youtube.
It was a Chinese slash (Boy's Love) audiodrama called 等你仰望 by 易修羅 . I knew I had to read the novel by all means and I am glad I wasn't disappointed. 

The book carries a BDSM theme and has TPE 24/7. The dynamics between the dom and sub is well written and explored. I greatly enjoyed the chemistry between the two. The surrender is sweet and the dominance is tender yet satisfying. I believe this book would appeal to both dominants and submissives. The author seems to know what makes a dom and a sub tick. I would have happily given this book a full 5 stars if not for having a tad bit difficulty on accepting how the major conflict towards the end was resolved which nearly cost the life of the protagonist. I think it was unreal for his master to not know what would become of his pet should his pet heard news of that devastating incident. Therefore I am settling with a 4.5 stars. 

Other than that stumble towards the end, I commend the author for handling the romance and sexual desires of the MCs well. There's no fluff and the romance is slow burn with gradual acceptance and indulgence. You'll get to witness the whole progress of the bonding between a new master and his sub. Besides that, the character development was also praiseworthy. I like how Feng Hou slowly strips Ling Lang's protective shell which he had created over the years to hide his dark desires out of shame and confusion towards this own deviant sexual nature. I had much fun watching the dom's creative pet/sub training method. There's a lot of focus on animal-roleplaying which the MC devotes himself as a loyal adoring dog to his doting but firm master. 

As a side note, this is the first time I have read a Chinese BL novel with a BDSM theme. I hope to be able to find more of such books in the future. And I would love to know more of this author especially the gender since I really couldn't tell from the writing itself. Most of the times I am able to do so with other M/M books but not with this one. 

P/S: I know it's rather odd reviewing a Chinese novel in English. I think I must be the first one to ever do so. Odd really. 


* Reviewed on October 9th, 2015  
**Read via Cantonese TTS**

 

Saturday 3 October 2015

[REVIEW: CHINESE BL NOVEL] Hua Hua You Long [花花遊龍] by Xing Bao Ni [星寶兒]


Sadistic lover. A devil with the face of an angel. A twisted romance of brutal and dysfunctional relationship. Be ready for multiple stab wounds on your poor heart. 

This book left a bitter aftertaste. Yet I am appreciative of the author's skill at manipulating the fragile human heart. I am also grateful for the author's effort to keep the story real. So real, it left an indelible mark on my mind. To me this meant the author is successful in his/her work since their main aim should be to grasp the reader's mind and mold it to their own desired shape. A book that is able to control the psyche of its reader is a winner. That's how I see it. And this book had subjected me to various onslaught of intense emotions of amusement, joy, fear, anger, sadness, disgust, frustration, anticipation, surprise, expectation and last but not least love. Yes, love even-though this is a very brutal romance story which I had nearly lost hope of finding a flicker of romance within its pages. Some might reject the ideal of romance in this story due to Jing's (seme/antagonist) violent and selfish way of pursuing love and also Lu Cang's (uke/protagonist) seemingly masochist acceptance of abuse from his lover. To be fair, I too could not exactly shake off the possibility of Stockholm Syndrome in play as I did find it hard to see how Lu Cang as broken as a battered rag doll could ever find in his heart to forgive Jing's incessant cruelty upon this mind and body. Nevertheless how ever twisted their love is, love is still the catalyst of their tragedious joining. Sigh such highly dysfunctional relationship this pair has. I am still worried for Lu Cang's future even upon finishing the book. Afterall, to serve the king is like accompanying a tiger. (famous Chinese proverb). 

The version I read was in Chinese Text via TTS (text-to-speech). If you are interested, you could try the fan translations in English here: [Click Me]. I am not sure how the translation fairs but I do believe the real thing is surely better than a translated copy. For the record, I have read the manga adaptation up to volume no. 5 and am keen on reading its next installment. The artwork is not bad and so far the story sticks with the original novel. 


BOOK DETAILS
Title: Hua Hua You Long [花花遊龍] 
Author: Xing Bao Ni [星寶兒]
Type: Novel  
Genre: Chinese M/M dark erotic romance 
Description: In order to help their chief find a wife, the bandits kidnapped a woman from the bottom of the mountain in order to offer her up to him. The chief of the mountain stronghold, Lu Cang falls in love at first sight with the absolutely stunning beauty! However, on the night of the consummation... 



READ FAN TRANSLATIONS: ★|| Hua Hua You Long (English Translations) ||★ 



* Reviewed on October 3rd, 2015 
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**Read via TTS in Cantonese** 

Wednesday 12 August 2015

[REVIEW] The Copper Horse: Pride by K.A. Merikan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Kynthos-the-Archer by: ARC
Recommended for: All human-equine fans, especial those who wish for proper plot to go with their wank material.
Read from February 22 to March 30, 2015


Say yes to Uniporn! Freaking love the sweet surrender and the firm hand.

In comparison to the first book, Pride has upped the humiliation and degradation scale another notch, or rather several notches. Ahem.. that breeding scene was so intense I am melting alongside Copper in that stable under the watchful voyeuristic eyes of the ponies' masters. It's freaking hot! My ereader was smoking up my room. I was so aroused I wish for a pet of my own to go down on me while I watch that intense scene again and again. It could possibly be the highlight of the book really.

Copper is not an honest horse like he always claims to be. He is manipulative, cowardly, greedy and rather self-centered. Yet I couldn't help but to like him. His weak points makes him all the more real and interesting. He does have some likable traits as well and deep down inside he isn't a bad guy. He is just a regular underprivileged guy seeking for better things in life. Actually he is quite endearingly sweet in nature. Pleasing others seems to come naturally to him. Copper is a submissive down to the bones and a total happy bottom. An inborn mare instead of the stallion his master was grooming him to be. I think his hole would cheerfully suck any dicks as long as it makes his beloved master happy. That's how devoted and a good pet horse he is. He is a joy to be ridden and ridden hard would be his best reward for he is truly not fit to be the rider himself.

In Pride, Copper is no longer as self-conflicted as he was when he was first forced into the role of an animal, a mere pet to fulfill another man's dark desire. Copper has learned to appreciate his new lifestyle as a pampered pet and the biggest problem he has now is keeping his sexual disposition of a stud-loving horse a secret from the his master and the household. He fears of being thrown back to the derelict district where he had came from should his master finds out that he was being taken for a ride like a fool. Thing is, it is getting tougher hiding his secrets the more smitten he was by Eric his beautiful master. Would he be able to throw away the last shred of his protective layer in risk of losing his pride as a man? Discarding his remnant of humanity? Embracing his new identity makes him feels loved, alive and freer that without his shackles. It would make his beloved master very happy yet his pride would die along with Reuben the man he once was. Is Eric worthy his love? The Eric that has been and still could be cruel and harsh to him whenever things does not go his way. Still, Copper sees hope when he caught glimpses of Eric's tenderness. One thing for sure, Eric is very fond of his new pet horse and Copper has gained confidence that his precious head is not going to be displayed on the wall of that creepy dining room.

There are times when I felt that Copper is ready to wear a skirt and paint his nails in pretty rainbow colours. Yet I could not not like him. In a way his girlish side makes him all the more adorable even for a buffy guy like him. What I truly feel about Copper? Well I think he makes a damn fine pet horse. He's not going to be able to play stud horse for you but he is one that you'll love to cuddle with and watch him getting fucked hard by a studly stallion. Or you could just do it yourself and make him squeal for you. How delightful!

It is nice that this time around I could get to know Eric better rather than just watching him from a distance, puzzling over what makes him tick. I could feel Eric's loneliness and understands why he did what he did to fill that deep void left by his first stallion's premature departure and the sacrifices he had to make being a member of the ruthless Dal crime family. In a sense Eric is more fleshed out in Pride and that is good move or else he is just another face in the crowd.

While I must confess that there are certain parts that is rather baffling to me which mostly concerns Eric's action towards Copper. One involves his choice of atonement of the wrongs he did to his poor pet. The other I think best to save it since it is tough to avoid being a spoiler.

Overall, Pride is a bloody damn good human-equine erotica which also comes complete with engaging plots to get you glued to your ereader while you are vigorously beating the meat or polishing the pearl in frenzy.



Absolutely adored this book cover. The picture captures Copper in full equine fineries during a debauchery party at his master's mansion.


BOOK DETAILS:
Title:The Copper Horse: Pride - Volume 2 in the ponyplay erotic romance trilogy: The Copper Horse
Author: K.A. Merikan
Publication Date: March 17th, 2015
Publisher: Acerbi&Villani ltd.
Type: Novel (90,000 words)
Genre: M/M dark erotic romance, BDSM

Description:London
1907, twenty years into the zombie Plague

After being kidnapped into slavery by a powerful crime family member - Erik Dal, Reuben is slowly adjusting to his new life. He is now Copper, Erik’s proud stallion, serving in any way his master might require - from pulling a cart, to pleasures in the bedroom. But his journey has only begun, and as he becomes increasingly attached to Erik, his devotion will be evaluated. From getting bred by another owner’s human stallion to Erik marking him forever, each of Reuben’s decisions makes him more of a pet and less of a human.

Becoming Erik’s horse isn’t just about getting pampered, wearing hooves and tack, or providing the master with pleasure. It becomes a violent game of prize and punishment, but when Reuben understands he too has leverage - Erik’s attachment to him - he becomes an active player in the negotiations of his stay at the mansion. But with his master’s grand annual birthday party approaching, his loyalty will be tested like never before, and the tasks he is to perform might prove too much.

Themes: class differences, slavery, steampunk, alternative lifestyle, Victorian, master/servant, captivity, ponyplay, heavy kink, organized crime, violence, power exchange



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* Reviewed on August 12th, 2015
*:--☆--:*:--☆:*:--☆--:*:--☆--:*:--☆--:*:--☆:*:--☆--:*:--☆--:*
**The ARC was graciously provided by the author.**



Monday 23 March 2015

[MANHUA REVIEW] 19 Days by Old Xian

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Recommended for: those who could use a good laugh. Humor is the best medicine.
Read on March 22, 2015, read count: 2 


I’ve stumbled upon this Chinese mangaka a couple of months back when I read, The Specific Heat Capacity of Love 爱的比热容 (another noteworthy Shounen-ai manhua by the same talented mangaka but please prepare the tissues when you read it). Then yesterday I decided to pick up another one of his production - 19 Days. Oh boy, I was glad I did so for it was an insta-mood-lifter. Coincidentally I was feeling kinda down after reading a couple of tearjerkers in a row. And this little gem here delivered the sunshine back to me again.

19 Days is filled with slapstick humor that brought me to tears from laughing too hard. My stomach aches from the constant giggles I had to suppress. I think I looked much like a loony with glistening eyes and a fist in my mouth, shoulders shaking non-stop. The characters are loveable, sweet, cute and freaking hilarious! I couldn’t get enough of them. Love em to bits and pieces.

As for the the artwork style, it is simplistic yet it brought out the charm of the story and was really pleasing to look at. Another plus point is that the whole manhua is in full colors. What a surprise! What a joy!

MUST READ. Pick it up. Read it and fall in love with life. Life should be fun. <3 



Dontcha think that this book cover would make an eye catching poster?



BOOK DETAILS:
Title:
19 Days,Volume #1
Author:
Old Xian
Publication Date:
2014
Type:
Manhua/Webcomic
Genre:
Comedy, School Life, Shounen Ai, Slice of Life

Description:
The cute and funny adventures of a boy and his best friend. Also contains insert art of the characters by the mangaka.
This review has also been cross-posted at:
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SCANLATOR:
★|| YAOI-BLCD ||★




READ ONLINE:
★|| Myreadingmanga ||★
★|| Mangafox ||★
★|| MangaPark ||★


* Reviewed on March 23rd, 2015
*:--☆--:*:--☆:*:--☆--:*:--☆--:*:--☆--:*:--☆:*:--☆--:*:--☆--:*


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